KEY POINT: You may think your products or services are differentiated in the marketplace, but that may not be the case… it's worth taking a deeper look.
KEY QUESTION: Is your primary differentiator your products or services and the commodity components that go with them, such as Price, Terms, Availability, or Location?
As business owners, leaders, and top-level executives, we need to be honest with ourselves about how differentiated we really are in the eyes of our customers. In most cases, we aren't as differentiated as we might think and don't have control of our differentiation… it's time to look beyond the traditional methods of differentiation and go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™.
For the past 35 years, I have been helping businesses figure out how they can be the LEADER in their industry…eclipsing their competitors, and becoming THE ONLY ONE their customers want to buy from. It's been incredibly rewarding…and disappointing.
It's been incredibly REWARDING to watch companies adopt and accept the change required to become true leaders in their industry. Watching cultures change to be CUSTOMER OBSESSED and demonstrating to customers how incredibly important and special they indeed are…nothing short of amazing.
And most importantly, watching how their customers ABSOLUTELY LOVE this change and have rewarded them with greater LOYALTY and ADVOCACY…telling others they are THE ONLY ONE to work with and buy from. Seeing these companies become "REMARK" able™ has been thrilling and exhilarating.
It's also been equally DISAPPOINTING and FRUSTRATING watching organizations pretend they are DIFFERENTIATED while actually being completely UNDIFFERENTIATED. Watching many companies struggle (and even fail) because they couldn't admit and accept they were a COMMODITY in the eyes of their customers.
Watching them struggle to attract and retain customers while getting minimal word-of-mouth is sad. They have difficulty growing, scaling, and increasing their enterprise value because it's just plain hard when they are viewed as a commodity…nothing separating them from their competitors.
Today, I want to (strongly) encourage every business leader to take a stand against this incredible façade of being differentiated and help their business see there is a better way…a better path to becoming UNQUESTIONABLY DIFFERENTIATED. It's time to STOP BEING A COMMODITY and START TRULY DIFFERENTIATING your organization. It's time to stop kidding ourselves that our products and services are our primary differentiators…they aren't. In our highly connected, social, shared world, businesses need more to win this battle of becoming unquestionably differentiated in the eyes of our customers. It's just too easy for an existing competitor (or new competitor) to step up and take the lead position with a better (or new) product or service and cause us to continue playing the "commodity game." There is a better way…
It's time to GO BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™
Let's start with what it means to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ happens when you MAKE YOUR COMPANY YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE…not the actual products and services you sell. It's time to STOP BEING A COMMODITY in the eyes of your customer and start being viewed as completely DIFFERENTIATED. As you will soon learn, the benefits are enormous!!
This is a new (and significantly better) way to grow your business…faster and more incredible than you may have ever done. It allows you to take that leadership position in your industry and eclipse your competitors. And not just for this year, but for many years well into the future.
It's time to take a good look in the mirror and accept that your organization isn't really all that DIFFERENTIATED FROM YOUR COMPETITORS…at least not in the eyes of your customers.
Once you realize your audience buys from you primarily based on PRICE, TERMS, AVAILABILITY, and LOCATION (the four factors that define a COMMODITY), you've taken the first step to move to a new state…going BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. I know this may be hard to read and accept, but I'd like you to consider and think about DIFFERENTIATION from a different perspective.
This didn't just happen today. And it has been evolving for decades…moving exceptionally rapidly over the past 10 – 15 years. Today I want to CHALLENGE every business to take a good hard look at themselves. My passion and goal are to bring this new way of thinking to as many businesses as possible.
NOW IS THE TIME to blow past our competitors and demonstrate to our customers we are THE ONLY ONE they should want to buy from and then go on to tell others about.
It's time to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ and truly stand out in the eyes of your customers.
QUESTION: What percentage of your customers tell others about your product or service and that your company is THE ONLY ONE they should consider for future business?
If your answer is less than 80%, please read on…
Suppose you are one of the few who are truly CUSTOMER OBSESSED and get 80% (or more) of your customers telling others you are THE ONLY ONE they should buy from. In that case, you can ignore the rest of this post…you are already on the path of going BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION. CONGRATULATIONS…you are part of an elite audience (less than 22% of all businesses).
If you are still reading, I want to help you become part of this elite group of companies. If you know me, you know I love to give things away and help others. I'm on a mission to help as many companies as possible break away from being a COMMODITY and being TRULY DIFFERENTIATED, so they can grow and scale their business the way they want. That's my mission.
IT STARTS TODAY!
I will share with you the specific recipe and formula for making this happen in your own business…how to leave the world of COMMODITIZATION behind and go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™.
Here's how I can help you. I won't give you a bunch of fluff, but I will give you real, actionable activities to change your company forever.
To get you started, we have to change your thinking. I will be sharing various blog posts, articles, videos, podcasts, and examples to help you learn WHY this needs to be mission critical, HOW you can do it in your organization, and WHAT you need to do to make it happen.
My primary focus is to share a lot of information and knowledge I have gained, including stories, examples, and insights to help you understand what it takes for an organization to go BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™. This will help you get on the path to becoming "REMARK" able™ and THE ONLY ONE your customers buy from and tell others about…which is probably your primary focus as well.
You can always learn more on my website (WOM10.com), but you will learn a ton by following the content I will share with you going forward. I hope you will join the journey and take your company to an entirely new level…where your CULTURE AND YOUR COMPANY BECOME YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE.
Once you realize the ways we DIFFERENTIATED in the past (and even today) AREN'T DIFFERENTIATING the way you think, you will be able to begin your journey and start seeing a whole new world of how you can TRULY DIFFERENTIATE your business from your competitors…GUARANTEED.
There are numerous REWARDS when you get there. Those of you who are visionary leaders will get it quickly and want to get there. I hope you're one of them.
What To Do Next...
Here are my recommendations for how to proceed if you are interested…
- Visit WOM10.com and spend a few minutes getting an overview of what going BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™ really means
- Subscribe to my blog posts (and other content)…they will give you tons of insights, ideas, stories, and actions you can start taking to help move your company in the right direction
- Follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter for additional content on WHY, HOW, and WHAT you can do that will start making a difference to your audience of customers (and others, including employees)
I look forward to having you on this journey. If you embrace this thinking and take action on the components I will share with you, I can GUARANTEE your company will improve in several areas. There isn't a company out there that hasn't become "REMARK" able™ by following the recipe of going BEYOND DIFFERENTIATION™…no one. And they all have realized significant benefits and rewards. Are you in? If so, let the journey begin!!
